100 Prompts: ANBU
by Beff
Summary: The second part of my NaNoWriMo project - more fleshing out of subcharacters Rating will fluctuate
1. Introduction

Who exactly are the ANBU? Well, I've got a solid hundred prompts to figure that out. I'm going to flesh out background characters, since that's currently my favorite thing to do. I might be liberal with canon, as I'm several dozen chapters behind what is current, though I'll try to keep as close to it as I can. The bright side is, a lot of these characters don't have a canon background, so I can be as liberal as I wish.

The first prompt ties in with the short I've started involving Tonbo and Ibiki, you can find it in my profile if you're interested. I plan on finishing it as soon as I have a better idea where I want to go with it, I'm hoping this set of prompts actually helps with that.

I promise to respond to reviews.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Prompt 1: Introduction

They came in the night for him.

He half-expected it, to be fair. Perhaps not so soon, but it was really just a matter of time. The fox had attacked a year before, and the village needed to present a strong outer face while repairing. ANBU allowed him a path to promotion. Its not like he had any family left, why not fill out the paperwork and see what happened? It wasn't like his sightlessness was a handicap at this point in his life, not as it had been.

More spatially aware than many other ninja, Tonbo knew before the wards on his apartment went down that there was someone else inside. By the time they got to his room he was already crouched, kunai in each hand, with a shuriken tucked loosely beneath his pillow, the technique that let him "see" at full. He could almost feel the smile come from the cloaked figure.

"I told you he'd be a good choice," he told an unseen figure behind him. The voice was vaguely familiar, but he shoved the thought aside for the present.

"Can I help you?" he asked as politely as any sixteen-year-old could when confronted by an assassin in his bedroom at oh-dark-thirty.

The figure in the doorway shifted, and again Tonbo could almost feel the amusement radiating off. He took half a step forward into the dim light, and the mask of a blank-eyed cat peered back at him.

"Hello, lad!" the mask said brightly. "You signed up as a potential ANBU recruit, and I've decided to take you on as an apprentice. Congratulations on signing your life away! My name is Puma, and as of today, you are _mine_."

Tonbo had heard that ANBU were certifiably insane. This man proved it.

The mask continued, using a kunai to pick dirt from beneath his fingernails. "Your taijutsu is passable, your genjutsu fairly proficient, your jutsu repertoire superb, and your chakra control is amazing. Before you start getting smug-"

The teen quickly wiped any trace of a smirk from his face.

"Your tracking skills are embarrassing, your kenjutsu at genin-level, and I'm personally amazed you can find your way to the Mission Room with how awful your map skills are."

Any pleasure at the compliments on his skills might have bought were ruthlessly crushed by the further evaluations of his skills, and he tried to hide any visible sign of deflation.

The ANBU, of course, saw, and chuckled. "No worries, kid. Everything is fixable, given time." He turned in the doorway, and Tonbo randomly wondered why an elite ninja like his new mentor would need to use a door.

"Show up tomorrow morning, training ground 39, 9am. Bring your full kit and some extra water. You have a long day."

_Oh yeah. Like I'll be able to sleep now._


	2. Love

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

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2 – Love

It was said by the uninformed that shinobi, especially the older, more experienced, more deadly, did not love. Did not, could not – didn't matter. Their souls were blacker than midnight.

That could not be farther from the truth.

It was because of love they did what they did. Love to their home village, to their Kage, to their comrades, for their families. It was those things that gave the them drive to return home from missions with grievous wounds, to be able to wake up after an assassination and be able to face the new day.

Ibiki stood atop Hokage Mountain, perched easily on one of the Second's eyebrows. The sun was just clearing the walls of the village, casting its early morning light across the grid-pattern of streets.

Many non-shinobi considered him a monster, brutal in all his pursuits and destruction personified.

One for three, if nothing else.

His devotion and love of his village let him stay sane and allowed him to be able to look at himself in the mirror, kept him going, to keep doing all the things that _needed_ to be done. No matter how dirty the job he was called upon to do, he would do it to keep his special people safe.

Special people. Damn. He had been hanging around that damned blond brat too long.


	3. Light

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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3 – Light

It would surprise civilians and genin alike to learn that, for all their cloak and dagger behaviors, ANBU performed a good number of their duties in the full light of day. What would astonish them even more would be that, without their masks, _anyone_ could be an ANBU agent.

Inuzaka Hana would bet her front teeth that her own mother wouldn't be able to recognize her. No clan tattoos, no dogs, and most importantly, no smell – thanks to the technological wonders ANBU's R&D came up with. No, no one would mistake her as a clan heir.

Her cover was a good one – as a merchant's daughter, she was nearly untouchable in the slimy, unaffiliated ninja village she now explored, her face open and bright.

No, her mother would _never_ recognize her.

Her teammates who had helped her prepare for this had barely recognized her. Poor saps probably still had nosebleeds.

It was amazing how much men would talk about things they shouldn't, merely to flaunt themselves in front of seemingly guileless, well-to-do young ladies. Any ninja worth the title could tell you information was priceless.

Hana took the hand of one of her young suitors, one who had interesting knowledge he shouldn't, and smiled at him. Not the toothy grin of an Inuzaka, no, but instead, it was the smile of a skittish and slightly smitten young woman.

She suspected she would walk away with a veritable fortune's worth of information after this mission.


	4. Dark

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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4 – Dark

The shadows themselves did not notice their passage.

A common mistake among ninja of questionable origins – shadows and the night were not true black. It depended on the location, what stage in the lunar cycle it was, the weather, and countless other minor details. Night shadows in Rock and Mist were tinged gray, blue in Sand. Konohan shadows were rarely still. One simple error in matching the shadows would inevitably lead to a quick death, probably in a quite painful fashion.

The pair moved in concert, silently working their way to the balcony of their target. When the wind blew, their off-black outfits resembled the rustling leaves of a bush or some other decorative plant, keeping in the theme of the area.

Their mission would be simple.

In at a certain time, eliminate target, out by another time. Rendezvous at their camp in two days with the third and fourth members of their team.

Easy.

Izumo motioned with a quick gesture to his partner to stay where he was. It would be easier and faster if only one of them entered to do what needed to be done, with the other standing by, just in case.

He slipped through the unlocked balcony door, verified the target of the sleeping young merchant, and had his kunai back in his pouch before the blood started flowing.

"You sure took long enough," Inuzaka Hana smirked from the doorway, wearing a semi-sheer dressing gown.

He bowed his head, his mask half-hidden in the shadows.

She could tell he had his standard half-smile beneath it.

"I'll play the part of the panicked floozy in the morning, and I'll take my leave of this shithole to go recover somewhere nice and calm. Figure two days and I'll meet up with you."

He nodded, then vanished back into the darkness.

Hana sighed and crawled into the bed with the still-warm body. An hour or so and she'd start her performance. Too bad ANBU didn't give bonuses for award-winning dramas.


End file.
